To Our Community

Dear Beloved Member of the story of City Repair,

I hope that you are as well as you can be, given all the beauty and complexity of this world we love and live in. This is a Love Letter to you, to thank you once again for all that you've contributed to Portland and beyond, whether in the context of City Repair, the VBC, or any other way that you've made a difference. Despite the sordid news that rains upon us, the greater truth is that tremendous strides have been made over these many decades, strides that will not be undone. 

Thank you so much for all that you've done, the people and places you've helped, the friends you've made and loved, the ways you've grown more powerful as you've continued on your path. May your satisfaction deepen as you keep going, and become an ever-more poignant version of yourself. 

This Love Letter is meant to say thanks, and also to assure you that City Repair will never cease our efforts to bring people together into common cause, so that they can find their voices and the tools that they need to surmount their challenges, heal their communities, and ultimately thrive. We will not give up.

Towards our resilience, this Love Letter is also to tell you that your time with us still resonates, and will always matter. In fact, the amazing success we are enjoying now is because we stand on your shoulders, we carry forward your momentum, and we honor all that you've given.

So, please know that you've made a difference that continues to spread and multiply. Also, this Love Letter is to tell you, to make sure that you know that we will always be connected. We wish you well, and we also invite you to reconnect and work with us again if you have the inclination, the time, and some cool ideas you'd like to try out.  

In Love and Solidarity, with Blessings,

Mark Lakeman

Co-founder, The City Repair Project